Las Vegas – True fighters don’t know of any barriers that can stand against their success. Proving this is 54-year-old Las Vegas Resident Phil Dunlap, who will take on 26-year-old professional MMA fighter Tiki Aquino in a featured professional submission grappling match. This is no stunt, as visitors will judge for themselves at the event to be held on January 27 at Hoop City, Las Vegas.

Only two weeks separate Phil Dunlap and his 55th birthday, and he intends to celebrate it in style, after taking his best shots against Professional MMA fighter Tiki Aquino. The new bout will be a rematch of their September UCFC match, which Phil won after a grueling battle over a young lion half his age.

The old warhorse that is Phil is still going strong, telling the world that age is only a number and no odds are overwhelming enough. To add to the thrill, it is interesting to know that, only seven years ago, Phil was given six months to live during his battle against cancer.

Growing up as a martial arts student and taught by his grandfather, Phil was an active professional fighter from the age of 15 up to 26, and fought kickboxing bouts in Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Japan. Most Phil’s fights where in Lethwei “Burmese Boxing”, a form of kickboxing where any strike or throw is legal, 3 knockouts wins the fight and no gloves are worn. He won championships in 3 weight classes 147, 163 and 170 lbs. while earning the nickname white rhino for his 28 knockouts by head-butt.

Phil met with a terrible car accident and broke his neck when he about to turn 26, cutting short his professional career. Phil started Advanced Fighting Systems Team Asylum to share his skills and train others, while bringing himself back in shape. In 1998, he received medical clearance and once again fought the no-rules MMA and kickboxing matches as well as early submission grappling events which were becoming popular at the time, including the first super fight live streamed over the internet. His other reputable participation included Burmese Boxing, Thai Boxing and MMA, where he had 119 professional fights along with well over a thousand submission grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu matches. Phil ultimately retired from competition at the age of 44 to continue his work as a coach and build his school.

The never-say-die spirit and the burning desire to continue fighting woke up again inside Phil when he turned 52. Since then, he has passionately fought in high level grappling tournaments and professional bouts, with over a hundred grappling fights and over 20 professional super fights to his credit.

Apart from professional fights, Phil owns a business that finances government contracts, consults with government contractors, and works with a select few sponsors. He has been featured in Black belt magazine on several occasions, Japanese MMA magazine Gong Kakutogi, and a feature in Burma’s largest publication Myanmar Times in February 2017, along with various local and regional publications and several television programs such as Inside Martial Arts and Insec TV in the NY metro area.